1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to crop harvesting equipment. More particularly, the present invention concerns a mower/conditioner having structure for conveying cut crop from the cutter bed to the conditioning rolls, so as to improve crop flow through the machine.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Those ordinarily skilled in the art will appreciate that smooth, even crop flow through the mower/conditioner is critical to proper, trouble-free harvesting operations. However, it has been determined that there is often a problem with crop flow in machines utilizing a pair of laterally extending crop conditioning rolls. Specifically, it is believed that the crop material has difficulty in moving from the cutter to the upwardly and rearwardly spaced nip defined between the conditioning rolls. This is particularly troublesome in machines utilizing a rotary style cutter bed, wherein crop material not adequately transferred to the nip is likely to be carried forwardly by the rotary cutters and ejected out the front of the machine. It will be appreciated that material thrown forward of the machine will have a tendency to knock down standing crop, which is further detrimental to harvesting operations. In addition, crop material failing to move directly from the cutter bed to the conditioning rolls must recycle through the cutter bed and is consequently overly shredded/comminuted. These problems are magnified in machines having wide cutter beds with at least one cutter located outboard of the ends of the conditioning rolls, whereby crop material must also be gathered inwardly after severance before being directed through the shorter conditioning rolls.